Their statement amounted to a spirited defense of the concept of an independent judiciary.

Mr. Schoelkopf said such a statement amounted to "a lot of wishful thinking."

A senior federal official confirmed that this statement amounted to a threat of resignation.

The statements on Sunday amounted to the opening of an elaborate poker game.

The statement amounted to yet another denial of Saudi involvement in the Sept. 11 attacks.

But the Government said the statement amounted to a malicious insinuation that it planned "to cheat its own citizens."

According to Kosgey's defence, witness 6's statement amounts to hearsay and should therefore be dismissed.

The statement amounted to the transmission of a lethal order.

These various statements amounted to straws in the wind rather than a fully defined policy for ending the war.

American officials said the statement amounted to an attempt by the Clinton Administration "to give a gentle push to the army to do its job."